Machine for the assembly of cigar filter tip mouthpieces



Jan. 2, 1968 METZ|NGER ET AL 3,361,138

MACHINE FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF CIGAR FILTER TIP MOUTHPIECES Filed Feb. 15, 1966 United States Patent Office 3,361,138 Patented Jan. 2, 1968 tion Filed Feb. 15, 1966 Ser. No. 527,600 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 25, 1965, 2,554/65 6 Claims. (Cl. 131-94) The present invention is concerned with a machine for the assembly of filter tip mouthpieces, in particular for cigars, comprising a first rotary cylinder having peripheral axial cavities for the reception of filter cores issuing from a station for feeding said cores, a first photo-electric cell to control the delivery of the cores from the feed station, a second photo-electric cell to detect the absence of a core in a cavity of the first cylinder, a device for successively cutting the cores contained in the said cavities, a second rotary cylinder for the reception of the cut cores, this second cylinder having its axis parallel to that of the first and presenting a number of axial cavities equal to the number of cavities of the first cylinder, a third rotary cylinder for the reception of the mouthpieces having its axis parallel to that of the other two cylinders and presenting as many cavities as the first cylinder, a device for the successive delivery of the mouthpieces into the said cavities of the third cylinder from a mouthpiece feed station, a photo-electric cell to detect the absence of a mouthpiece in the delivery device, and a device for the successive insertion of the cut cores into the mouthpieces contained in the said cavities, this device being controlled by a cam driven by the shaft of the said third cylinder.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the machine according to the present invention.

The machine shown in a very diagrammatic manner serves for the assembly of filter tip mouthpieces adapted to be fixed in particular on cigars. It includes a first rotary cylinder 1 with a vertical axis, presenting six cavities a, b, c, d, e and 1 formed by axial cavities bored in the periphery of the cylinder 1. These cavities are adapted to receive filter cores such as the cor 2 issuing from afeed station designated in a general manner by 3. A first photo-electric cell 4 serves to control the delivery of the cores 2 out of the feed station 3. To this end, the cell 4 is disposed on the axis of the cavity a on one side of the cylinder 1, the luminou source 4' cooperating with said cell 4 being situated on the same axis on the other side of the cylinder 1. The current from the cell serves to actuate an electromagnetic valve 6 which controls the passage of a fluid in a pipe 7 one branch of which is connected to a cylinder 9 and one branch 10 to a cylinder 11. The cylinder 9 contains a piston 12 the rod 13 of which controls the outlet of a spout 14 in which pass the filter cores 2. The cylinder 11 contains a piston 15 the rod 16 of which controls the outlet of a hopper 17 containing the cores 2.

A second photo-electric cell 18 serves to detect the absence of a core 2 in the cavity 2 of the cylinder 1. This cell 18 is disposed on one side of the cylinder 1 on the axis of the cavity e, the luminous source 18 cooperating with the cell 18 being situated on the same axis on the other side of the cylinder 1. This cell 18 serves to actuate an electropenumatic clutch E the role of which will be explained later on.

A device for cutting filter tips including a rotary knife 19 is mounted adjacent to the lower base of the cylinder 1 which presents a peripheral slot 20 in which the knife 19 may penetrate to cut off successively the filter cores in the cavities as will be described in detail hereafter.

A scond rotary cylinder 21 for the reception of the filter cores or tips cut by the knife 19 has its axis 21 parallel to that of the first cylinder 1 and presents a number of cavities equal to the number of cavities a, b, c, d, e, f of the cylinder 1.

Finally, a third rotary cylinder 22 the axis 22 of which is parallel to the axis of the cylinders 1 and 21 also presents axial cavities the number of which is equal to that of the cavities of the first cylinder and serving to receive mouthpieces 23 issuing from a feed station designated in a general manner by 24. These mouthpieces 23 arrive into a determined cavity of the cylinder 22 from a tube 25 through which they pass one by one. A photo-electric cell 26 cooperating with a luminous source 26' on a line with the axis of an opening 27 of the tube 25 serves to detect the absence of a mouthpiece in said tube. The current of the cell 26 serves to actuate a relay 24 for an electropneumatic clutch E similar to the clutch B. Each monthpiece 23 is placed in the cavity of the cylinder 22 with its opening of large diameter directed upwardly, so as to receive a filter tip 2.

A device for the successive insertion of the core tips 2' in the mouthpieces 23 includes a cylinder 28 containing a piston 29 the rod 30 of which extends vertically in the axis of two aligned cavities of the cylinders 21 and 22. A cam 31 with six bosses 31) corresponding to the six cavities of the cylinder 22 is fixed to the spindle 22 of this cylinder and actuates electrical contacts 32 for the control of an exciting circuit of an electromagnetic valve 33 controlling the flow of fluid under pressure to the cylinder 28.

The operation of the machine described is the following:

The cavity a of the first cylinder 1 is supposed to be empty. The photo-electric cell 4 is then reached by the luminous beam issuing from the source 4 and produces an exciting current for the valve 6. This latter opens into the position shown in dash lines and allows the fluid to pass into the pipe 7 and the branches 8 and 10. The pistons 12 and 15 are then in the position shown in dash lines. As a result, a core contained in the hopper 17 has been injected into the spout 14 and held by the rod 13 of the piston 12, this to prevent it from falling into the cavity 7 of the cylinder 1.

After rotation of one sixth of a revolution of the cylinders 1, 21 and 22, the luminous beam issuing from the source 4' is cut off, which eliminates the exciting current in the electromagnetic valve 6 and places the latter in the dot and dash position. The fluid under pressure which held the pistons 15 and 12 in the dash line position is then cut off. The pistons 15 and 12 return to the dot and dash position, the piston 15 thus preparing a core for the following injection and the piston 12 freeing the core 2 which falls by its own Weight into the cavity a, which was supposed to be empty.

If one of the cavities a, b, c, d or f of the cylinder 1 is empty, when it reaches the position of the cavity e of the cylinder 1, the cell 18 is excited by the luminous beam issuing from the-source 18' and produces a current actuating the electropneumatic clutch E which stops the machine. Arriving in the position of the cavity d, the rotary knife 19 is moved from its rest position in dot and dash lines to its operative position in which it penetrates into the slot 20 to cut the lower part 2' of the filter core 2. After one sixth of a revolution of the three cylinders 1, 21 and 22, the section of filter core or tip 2 passes into a cavity opposite the cylinder 21 rotating in. the direction of the arrow. At the intersection of the cylinders 21 and 22, a cavity of the cylinder 22 comes opposite the cavity of the cylinder 21 containing the tip 2', the cam 31 actuates the contacts 32 which close the circuit of the electro-valve 33. This latter is moved from the closed position shown in dot and dash lines to the open position, permitting fluid under pressure to pass into the cylinder 28 which pushes downwardly the piston 29 and its rod 30. The rod 30 which is opposite the cavity of the cylinder 21 containing the filter tip 2 drives this tip downwards into the corresponding cavity of the cylinder 22 and pushes it into the mouthpiece 23 contained in this cavity. The mouthpiece 23 provided with the filter tip 2' leaves its cavity in a definite position as shown diagrammatically at 34 by the arrow, this mouthpiece being seen in axial section. During the one sixth of a revolution of the cylinders 1, 21 and 22, the rod 30 has disengaged itself, the piston 29 coming into the position in dot and dash lines, to permit the rotation of the cylinders.

Each filter core not comprising a whole number of sections or tips, there remains a core waste which passes like the preceding tips into a cavity of the cylinder 21. The cavity of the cylinder 22 which presents itself under this unusable waste does not contain any mouthpiece and the waste falls before the outlet point 34 into a special duct, not shown.

What we claim is:

1. Machine for the assembly of filter tip mouthpieces, in particular for cigars, comprising a first rotary cylinder presenting peripheral axial cavities for the reception of filter cores issuing from a station for feeding said cores, a first photo-electric cell to control the delivery of the cores from the feed station, a second photo-electric cell to detect the absence of a core in a cavity of the first cylinder, a device for successively cutting the cores contained in the said cavities, a second rotary cylinder for the reception of the cut cores, this second cylinder having its axis parallel to that of the first and presenting a number of axial cavities equal to the number of cavities of the first cylinder, a third rotary cylinder for the reception of the mouthpieces having its axis parallel to that of the other two cylinders and presenting as many cavities as the first cylinder, a device for the successive delivery of the mouthpieces into the said cavities of the third cylinder from a mouthpiece feed station, a photo-electric cell to detect the absence of a mouthpiece in the delivery device, and a device for the successive insertion of the cut cores into the mouthpieces contained in the said cavities, this device being controlled by a cam driven by the shaft of the said third cylinder.

2. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said filter core feed station comprises a hopper in which are received the cores, a vertical chute for the passage of the cores one by one into a horizontal position, a bent spout in which each core passes from the horizontal position to the vertical position above a cavity of the first cylinder, a first piston for the injection of the cores from the outlet of said chute into the spout, a second piston for retaining the cores at the outlet of said spout, these pistons being actuated by a fluid controlled by an electromagnetic valve, itself actuated by a photo-electric cell, another photo-electric cell detecting the presence or the absence of a filter core in said cavity, and wherein this latter photo-electric cell acts on an electropneumatic clutch adapted to stop the machine in the absence of a core, and a second electropneumatic clutch being arranged to be actuated by the photo-electric cell detecting the absence of a mouthpiece.

3. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the three cylinders have vertical axes and each presents six cavities so that for each operation, they rotate through one sixth of a revolution.

4. A machine for the assembly of filter tip mouthpieces, in particular for cigars, comprising a station for feeding filter cores, a first rotary cylinder presenting peripheral axial cavities for the reception of filter cores issuing from a station for feeding said cores, means for controlling the delivery of the cores from the feed station, a device for successively cutting the cores contained in said cavities, a second rotary cylinder for the reception of the cut cores, this second cylinder having its axis parallel to that of the first cylinder and presenting a number of axial cavities, a third rotary cylinder for the reception of mouthpieces having its axis parallel to that of the other two cylinders and presenting a number of axial cavities, a station for feeding the mouthpieces, a means for successively delivering the mouthpieces into the cavities of the third cylinder from the mouthpiece feed station, and a device for successively inserting the cut cores in the cavities of the second cylinder into the mouthpieces in the cavities and the third cylinder.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 4 wherein detection means are operatively associated with the first and third cylinders for detecting the absence of a core and a mouthpiece respectively.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 4 wherein the rotation of said cylinders are synchronized with one another and the device for inserting the cores in the mouthpieces is adapted to be actuated in time relationship with respect to the movement of one of said cylinders.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 190,541 5/1877 Bromwell 131-70 2,005,661 6/1935 Muller 131-72 2,105,412 1/ 1938 Edwards 93-1 2,147,278 2/1939 Ahne 9377 2,602,453 7/1952 Treble 131-94 2,902,807 9/1959 Molins 931 X 3,267,821 8/1966 Rowlands 931 FOREIGN PATENTS 677,121 12/1963 Canada. 281,236 3/ 1928 Great Britain.

ALDRICH F. MEDBERY, Primary Examiner. 

4. A MACHINE FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF FILTER TIP MOUTHPIECES, IN PARTICULAR FOR CIGARS, COMPRISING A STATION FOR FEEDING FILTER CORES, A FIRST ROTARY CYLINDER PRESENTING PERIPHERAL AXIAL CAVITIES FOR THE RECEPTION OF FILTER CORES ISSUING FROM A STATION FOR FEEDING SAID CORES, MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE DELIVERY OF THE CORES FROM THE FEED STATION, A DEVICE FOR SUCCESSIVELY CUTTING THE CORES CONTAINED IN SAID CAVITIES, A SECOND ROTARY CYLINDER FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE CUT CORES, THIS SECOND CYLINDER HAVING ITS AXIS PARALLEL TO THAT OF THE FIRST CYLINDER AND PRESENTING A NUMBER OF AXIAL CAVITIES, A THIRD ROTARY CYLINDER FOR THE RECEPTION OF MOUTHPIECES HAVING ITS AXIS PARALLEL TO THAT OF THE OTHER TWO CYLINDERS AND PRESENTING A NUMBER OF AXIAL CAVITIES, A STATION FOR FEEDING THE MOUTHPIECES, A MEANS FOR SUCCESSIVELY DELIVERING THE MOUTHPIECES INTO THE CAVITIES OF THE THIRD CYLINDER FROM THE MOUTHPIECE FEED STATION, AND A DEVICE FOR SUCCESSIVELY INSERTING THE CUT CORES IN THE CAVITIES OF THE SECOND CYLINDER INTO THE MOUTHPIECES IN THE CAVITIES AND THE THIRD CYLINDER. 